I’ve been really into HKT48 for awhile now, and I’ve been watching several of the variety shows that they’re appearing in. So with the election coming up, I want to share some of the reasons why I find HKT48 to be such a special group to follow! In general I find them more interesting then the next generation of AKB48 members!
I’ll Basically give a basic rundown on pretty much all of Team H, and some of the standouts from the 2nd Generation members. I recommend that if anyone wants to get to know HKT48, that they watch their shows “Hakata Hyakkaten”, and “HKT48 no Odekake”.
*Disclaimer : This is in no way EVERYTHING about them, it’s just everything that stands out to me personally, so forgive me if I missed anything.
With that said, here’s Team H…
HKT48 (TEAM H)
- Team H Captain (thus her nickname “Cappu”)
- Learning to play the Guitar, and has showcased her progress several times on Hakata Hyakkaten!
- Studied Classical Ballet from a young age
- Type: Girl Next Door
At first look she doesn’t really stand out, but the more you get exposed to her, the more you notice how much effort she’s putting into everything she does. She takes her role as Captain seriously, and it feels that even if she’s not a strong leader, that she has the support from the rest of her team. Her theatre performances are solid, and I don’t think I’ve really seen her mess up. She’s referred to as a “Ponkotsu Captain”, and gets teased a little bit, but everyone loves her.
- Plays the Harmonica (Performed a duet with Anai Chihiro on Hakata Hyakkaten!)
- Skilled with Puns (able to create puns out of just about anything)
- Pretty awesome at Prop Gags.
- Skilled at Piano
- Type: Oddball
Nao, is one of the HKT members that doesn’t really get that much attention from the mainstream. However, she’s really funny on variety shows with her awkwardness, and cheery personality. She’s kinda weird, but she’s a total sweetheart.
- Transferred from AKB48
- 6+ years AKB48 experience (and doesn’t let you forget it!)(most senior member in HKT48, beating out Sashihara by 1 year)
- Self Proclaimed “Tsundere”
- Can’t handle Bugs at all. (Seriously, gurl freaks out yo)
Since transferring to HKT48 Love-tan has become the grizzled veteran of the group. She’s quick to remind everyone of how much experience she has, and I think everyone really respects her. Aside from adjusting to her new environment, underneath it all she’s still the same Love-tan that captured everyone’s heart with “Tenshi no Shippo”. She comes off as being really tough and cold, but she’s quick to breakdown when bugs are involved. She’s kind of starting over fresh with HKT48, and she fits in rather nicely as one of the groups “older sisters”. She’ll be important in helping develop the younger members, and in turn, will help her mature more.
- Unexpectedly Atheletic
- skilled at acrobatics
- Known for her good Fashion Sense within the group
- Nickname “Serinu”
Serinu is one of the most overlooked gems in HKT48. she’s got alot of energy, and really shines in physical segments on variety shows. in the Theatre shows she’s one of the supporting members of many unit songs. She’s not in the center, but she’s essential to the group as a whole.
兒玉 遥 (Kodama Haruka) a.k.a. Haruppi
- First HKT48 Center (and current Team H Center)
- Charm Point: She has a cute lisp
- Totally Adorable
- Member of the Basketball club in school
- Excellent all-a-round performance singing, dancing, MC etc…
- has the guts to fart around others
- AKB48 Senbatsu Member for “Manatsu no Sounds Good!”
Despite losing her Center Status to Meru, she continues to be one of the main fixtures of the group. Appearing in almost all HKT48 TV guest spots, she has great MC skills even though she struggles with her lisp (however it doesn’t seem to bother her, she tries to speak clearly regardless). She’s known for her happy and cheery attitude, and she works really well in the center position for the group. She’s very aware of her position in the group, and tries really hard to live up to the expectations that come with it. She has kind of a fail-character, but she tries to not let it get to her, and she tries really hard at whatever she’s doing. She pretty much sold me on HKT48 when they debuted on AKBINGO singing their version of Heavy Rotation (the only alternate version I accept besides the original).
指原 莉乃 (Sashihara Rino) a.k.a. “Sasshi”
- Transferred to HKT48 due to a scandal shortly after ranking 4th in the Senbatsu Election
- Host of HKT48’s TV shows “Hakata Hyakkaten”, and co-host of “HKT48 no Odekake”.
- Successful Solo Singing Career
- Starred in her own TV Series “Muse no Kagami”
- 2nd only to Love-tan in HKT48 for years of experience
- Set Records for huge jumps in Rank in consecutive AKB Elections
- Self-proclaimed Idol Otaku, and is famous for her wotagei performances on TV.
- Huge devoted fanbase, and likewise, a large amount of haters.
- Promoted other Idol groups through her own Idol festival
- Makes a habit of making ugly faces in videos and pictures for comedic effect
What can you say about Sasshi that hasn’t been said already? She was a key member of AKB48 for several years before her unfortunate scandal that provoked her transfer to HKT48. She’s managed to overcome her scandal, and I even believe that she’s really benefited from her move to HKT48, and HKT48 has benefited from her being there. Her role in the group is kind of like a Teacher, and the rest of the group is her class. I think of her as HKT48’s Pimp, as she plays a huge role using her popularity as a way of bringing attention to the rest of the group. Despite her scandal, her TV appearances haven’t really slowed down, and she’s ever-present in all aspects of AKB48. To me, she’s the most un-idol-like idol, but she loves what she does, and she loves idol culture in general, so it really makes you want to cheer for her. As a wota, it’s like she’s one of us. The more you’re exposed to her, the more she grows on you.
下野 由貴 (Shimono Yuki) a.k.a Shinamon/Cinnamon
- Participated in all the main HKT48 songs “Hatsukoi Butterfly”, “Suki Suki Skip”, and “Onegai Valentine”.
- All-a-Round performer
I’ll have to admit, I don’t know many details about her. She kind of blends in the group, however she’s great on variety shows, and performances. She’s often overlooked, but I think that she’s essential as a support member. She’s in several unit songs, and shuffle units, and her singing and dancing is solid. She kind of lacks something to make her stand out from everyone else though.
田中 菜津美 (Tanaka Natsumi) a.k.a. Natsumikan a.k.a. BOSS
- Youngest promoted Member in all 48 Groups
- Infamous for her crazy fashion sense (think along the lines of Sae Miyazawa)
- Recently has shown to have a Sadistic “Boss” Character despite being so young (think Mariko)
Natsumikan has been getting alot more exposure since her “BOSS” character has surfaced, and it really stands out on variety shows. I think in the coming year or so she’ll gain a larger fanbase because of this. She’s kind of come out of her shell, and has shown she can be as bombastic as Murashige when she wants to, and it’s all the more shocking with her being so young. She seems much older than she is.
中西 智代梨 (Nakanishi Chiyori) a.k.a. “Chori”, a.k.a. “Inoue Yosui”
- Skilled Variety-Type Member
- Excellent in all aspects of Comedy and even participated in the 2013 R-1 Grand Prix with well known Japanese Comedians.
- Skilled at Singing, as well as dancing (with experience in Hip-Hop dancing).
- Wants to be a fashion Producer some day, and has good fashion sense with regards to others, however falls flat coordinating her own outfits.
- Has shown to be not very athletic
- Famed for her Impressions of Singer “Inoue Yosui”, and other impressions of Animals, and Impressions of Anonymous scrambled voices.
- Excellent at Weird Faces
- Rival to Murashige Anna in Variety.
Chiyori is kind of the mix of Minegishi and Noro Kayo of HKT48, in that she’s more popular for her Variety presence than her Idol Performance. She stands out within HKT48 on variety shows, but for some reason, she kind of hides when guesting with AKB48 on TV shows. However she’s still made a lot of huge impressions on professional comedians, and is very confident in front of audiences. She’s the official Comedian of the group, but she’s noted that she struggles with being known for her Comedy, and not being thought of as an Idol. Either way, she’s one of the main fixtures of HKT48, and a joy to watch.
松岡 菜摘 (Matsuoka Natsumi) a.k.a. Natsu
- Known for her Beauty and has been compared to Yukirin “in the old days”
- Kind of Shy, but is good in front of the camera.
- Often one of the main representative members on TV shows with Anai, and Kodama
She doesn’t really have much that really sets her apart other than that she’s quite pretty, and in general she’s great at singing, dancing, and being on TV shows. She’s been one of the core members of the group since the beginning. She’s funny when she gets mad though.
- First, and Only HKT48 Member to Rank in the 2012 Senbatsu Election ( #47 Next Girls )
- Most Popular and Well-known Member of HKT48 (aside from Sashihara and Love-tan)
- Incredibly Cute (she gives Candy Diabeetus)
- From Kagoshima (Same city Yukirin is from)
- She’s got Giant ears that rival Kojima Haruna.
- Absolutely no physical prowess, and has shown to be a slow runner
- Excellent Acting abilities
- Over the top almost Yukirin-level reactions
- Vocal Member of the Melon-pan Alliance (although it was revealed she likes Soft-pan more)
- Senbatsu Member for the AKB48 Single “UZA”
Sakura has been the most well known (non-transfer member) and is a constant fixture of the group. She’s one of the front-line in pretty much all formations of the group, and is an essential part of the group. She’s well spoken, and strikes an interesting balance of being quite mature and being freaking cute as hell. She pretty much owned “Wimbledon e Tsuretette” in their H1 stage. On an episode of AKBINGO she was voted “Variety Queen” for her epic performance turning the fart cannons on her pursuers.
村重 杏奈 (Murashige Anna) a.k.a. “Annya” a.k.a. “Russian Monkey”
- Half-Russian (and speaks Russian Fluently)
- Super Hyper, and Over-the-top Attention hog who is happiest being at the center of attention
- Talks a lot of smack, but fails to back it up sometimes
- constantly fails with her one-shot gags which fail so hard that they win (think Takamina level fail)
- Variety-type rivalry with Nakanishi Chiyori
- Participated in the R-1 Grand Prix (but not as far as Nakanishi)
- Acts very conceited, however she’s quite sensitive and has been known to cry easily
- Constantly Harassing other members with kiss attacks, and photo-bombing.
- Started her own Senbatsu where she’s center called “Gui Gui Senbatsu” and they do a weird Acapella/Beatbox dance gag.
really, where do you start with a girl like Murashige?? She’s the class-clown to Chiyori’s class comedian, and she’s always trying to stick out and get attention to the point where she can get a little obnoxious at times. She comes off as super confident in her abilities and her looks, and constantly takes a chance she can get to show off, and then proceeds to fail. Due to her over-the-top antics, she’s a very visible member of the group, and unlike Chiyori she doesn’t let AKB48’s main group intimidate her on other TV shows, so she ends up standing out more on such occasions. She seems to try too hard most of the time, but she’s genuinely entertaining, and you can’t help but like having her around. with all that, she’s actually a skilled singer, and dancer, so she got the full package. The rest of HKT48 find her a bit annoying, but they’re used to her craziness so she’s got lots of friends.
- Known for her Crybaby Character due to her frequently crying during episodes of Hakata Hyakkaten
- Very popular within 48 groups members and has the most selections on Hakata Hyakkaten
Aoi has pretty much been defined by her reputation as a Crybaby. She’s really quite unique in the 48 Groups for this, and she’s got a lot of fans. Other than that and her cuteness, she really doesn’t do anything special that sets her apart. She’s one of the more Popular Members amongst fans.
森保 まどか (Moriyasu Madoka) a.k.a. Morippo
- Cool-Beauty Type
- Skilled at Piano, and can recognize notes by ear
- Aspired to be a model
- Can appear cold, and serious, but she’s actually very sensitive
- Performs as the lead in a lot of dramatic songs
Madoka is kind of a quiet member, but she stands out personality wise as the cool, and collected member. She’s very skilled at playing the piano, and she can be kind of bashful in some situations and shows her cute side. She tends to be featured in more serious, and dramatic songs in their stages. She’s not overly strong in variety shows, but she kind of fills a certain role.
若田部 遥 (Wakatabe Haruka) a.k.a. “Wakaharu” a.k.a. “Wakaharugon”
- Known for her Dad being a pro baseball player
- Often featured speaking Hakata Dialect
- One of the early representative members on AKBINGO for HKT48
- Aspiring MC and Announcer
Wakatabe has a awkward presence which is quite endearing. She’s tries to distance herself from her celebrity father, however in doing so, kind of defines her in the group. She’s found a kindred spirit in Kuramochi Asuka from AKB48 (who’s father is also a Baseball Player). Most of the time she kind of blends in, but you can often find her making a quick witted comment in the thick of the moment that really is entertaining.
Thanks for taking to the time to check these girls out, I hope they’ll continue to get more popular. Support HKT48!!
p.s. I’ll do a separate post for the KKS Trainees.